Bill Gates Say Internet Will Change TV? Perhaps He's Been Away

Late news from Davos is that Microsoft (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates believes that the internet will revolutionize TV. His time horizon is five years. He points to products like Google’s (GOOG) YouTube as content that might be moved from internet viewing to the television.

Perhaps Mr. Gates did not make it to the Consumer Electronics Show or has not been on the internet lately. Most TV new sites already run live and archived video. So do most music video and entertainment sites. Whether these are watched on TV or the PC, they take share from mainstream shows like CSI and Seinfeld reruns.

Using YouTube is actually a poor example of what is likely to happen. Making money from teenagers lip syncing music or farting in the tub is not likely to supplant content like the Superbowl. Unless, of course, Mr. Gates has odd tastes.

Douglas A. McIntyre can be reached at [email protected]. He does not own securities in companies that he writes about.